When Renee Beech Smith saw running back Pierre Thomas pull out a bow after scoring the New Orleans Saints' first touchdown Monday night, she knew some fan was going to be getting a late Christmas present. The lifelong Saints fan just didn't realize it would be her.

View full sizeEliot Kamenitz, The Times-PicayuneNew Orleans Saints running back Pierre Thomas puts a bow on a football with which he had just scored a touchdown against the Atlanta Falcons in the Superdome on Monday. He presented the ball to Renee Beech Smith.

"It made me one of the happiest people, happiest Saints fans in the world," Smith said. "At this point I just want to keep it and hold on to it."

For Smith, the memento will be a reminder not only of a game in which quarterback Drew Brees broke a 27-year-old record for most passing yards in a season. The gift will also be a keepsake of a night that proved just how far the Saints have come.

The Kenner-area real estate agent has been a die-hard Saints fan since the team's first season in 1967 and has been holding the same season tickets for the past 15 years.

"I was one of the fans that stuck around at the time that the Saints were Aints," she said. "I was always taught that if you believe in something you stick to it, and that's what I've done."

This year, however, she said there's no doubt how the season will turn out.

View full sizeDavid Grunfeld, The Times-PicayuneRenee Beech Smith gets a ball with a bow on it from New Orleans Saints running back Pierre Thomas after he scores the first New Orleans Saints touchdown against the Atlanta Falcons in the Superdome on Monday.

"We're going all the way," Smith said. "There's no other way."

Though she was wearing a Jonathan Vilma jersey at Monday's game, Smith said that "of course" Thomas is her favorite player.

Thomas wasn't the first player to give Smith a gift this year. During the pre-season, rookie wide receiver Joe Morgan tossed a ball to her after completing a run.

Thomas was given an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for Christmas-inspired gift and could face a fine from the league. Smith said that she hoped, however, that yet another brush with the sidelines could win him a reprieve.

During the Saints' NFC Championship win against the Minnesota in 2010, Smith chastised the Vikings after an errant punt nearly struck NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.